In the medical arts, it is common practice to affix a rod to a patient's spine in order to immobilize the spine in the length adjacent the affixed rod. In that practice, the surgeon determines the necessary length and shape of a rod which is to be implanted in the patient, and that determination is based upon utilizing a template rod which the surgeon initially configures to the shape of the length of the spine which is to be immobilized. That is, the surgeon initially takes a bendable rod and measures and bends the rod to conform to the affected part of the patient's spine. That becomes a template rod which is then utilized for the configuring of a rod which is to be implanted in the patient and secured to that length of the spine.
In that practice, it is important that there be no foreign matter introduced into the patient, and thus the template rod should not deposit any foreign matter in the patient while the surgeon is configuring that template to the patient's spine. However, a rod of a preferred material, such as aluminum, can release foreign particles when it is placed under the forces and action of bending, and of course that is undesirable.
Accordingly, the present invention provides a template rod which does not release foreign matter, that is, its own flakings and the like, when it is being configured or bent adjacent the patient's spine. To accomplish this objective in the present invention, the template rod of this invention is provided with a sleeve which covers the rod and thereby precludes the sloughing or flaking of the rod material. Such sleeve is preferably made of a silicone material which can be snugly positioned over the rod, and two end caps are utilized for fully sealing the assembled rod and sleeve at the ends thereof. As such, the template rod is fully protected and can be bent without leaving any foreign particles in the patient.
The present invention also includes the method of accomplishing the aforementioned and to do so in a manner which provides a protected template rod and does so in an efficient and reasonably cost-effective manner.
Still further, the assembled rod and sleeve of this invention provide for incremental length indicia affixed along the length of the rod so that the surgeon can determine the overall length, as well as the location, for the bends of the template rod. With that information, the surgeon can then use the template to select a final rod and to bend the final rod to conform to the length and configuration of the template rod and then insert the final rod in the patient.
In accomplishing all of the foregoing, the present invention provides the coextensive length of an assembled rod and sleeve with two end caps which extend over the opposite end edges of the sleeve to render the entire assembly of the rod, sleeve, and two end caps fluid and particle passage tight, all so that no fluid or particles can pass to or from the interior of the assembly. In this regard, the present invention swages two end caps over the tubing, all to achieve the aforementioned. Thus the sterility and integrity of the entire assembly is assured. The arrangement is such that the end caps are firmly pressed over the ends of the sleeve or cover extending over the metal rod itself.